Improvement in lasts



MARGARET C. MOULTON;

LASTS.

No.174,635. Patented March 1,4, 1876.

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NITEI) STATES MARGARET C. MOULTON, OF INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI.

PATENT QFFICE IMPROVEMENT IN LASTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 174,635, dated March14, 1876; application filed February 15, 1873.

To all whom it may concern Be it. known that I, Mrs. MARGARET O.MoULToN, of Independence, in the county of Jackson and State ofMissouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lasts for Bootsand Shoes, of which the following is a specification:

The object of this invention is to provide a last for constructing bootsand shoes in such form that the boot or shoe made thereon will not crampor distort the foot; and to this end it consists in forming the last sothat the inside line from the heel to the end of the great toe shall beparalleLwith a line running through the center of the foot from heel totoe, excepting where the last is hollowed out on the bottom at thehollow of the foot. The outside line of the last is first curvedinwardly near the heel, and then outwardly to a point right foot, and tothe left for the left foot, and

after attaining its full width at the ball of the foot it continues ofuniform width from the ball to the end of the little toe, and thencenarrows down to the end of the long toe.

Figure 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 is a view of the bottom ofa last,made according to my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents a line tangential to the heel, and parallel to the line B,the latter line passing through the center of the last from heel to toe.O is a line also parallel with B, to indicate the spread of the last andconsequent form of the shoe. The spread of the sole from a central linein the widest part is, therefore, outward instead ofinward, as boots andshoes are now made.

Fig. 2'represents the outline of the natural foot before it has beencramped or distorted by any artificial appliances. A boot or shoe madein this form is natural to the natural foot. The toes are not crampedand turned under or distorted in shape, and the wearer is allowed allthe advantages for balancing and locomotion which nature intended heshould have, besides his tread will be square, and the boot or shoe willnot be inclined to run down or to one sidellike boots and shoes ofordinary construction, which tire and weaken the ankle. .A boot or shoemade upon a last of this description, being natural to the foot, willwear much longer than when made in the ordinary way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent As a new article of manufacture, a last which spreadsentirely on the outside, the inside edge being no farther from thecentral line at the ball of the foot than at the heel, and said insideedge being straight after passing the hollow of the last to the end ofthe MRS. MARGARET CHI'ITENDEN MOULTON.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. GATEs, SARAH D. GATES.

